When The Shadows Guide You Home
by valkyriepilot20
Summary: As the turtles are ambushed, and Leo becomes separated from his family, he finds himself on a journey that leads him to Japan, and enlisting the help of Karai. Includes Leorai and explicit scenes.


"Traitor!"

Even over the sound of the chaotic melee Shredder's voice could be heard. Karai turned to face her former master, her blade in a reverse grip as she darted forward. Her muscles burned, she felt as though the battle had gone on for hours. Shredder stood his ground as he dodged and blocked the flurry of slashes Karai threw at him before catching her sword between the blades of his gauntlet. Twisting it out of her grip and swiftly connecting a kick against her chest. Karai staggered back, dropping to her knees and trying to catch her breath. She took a moment and gazed around the lair, the legions of Foot soldiers were packed so tightly they moved like a giant black shadow through the tunnels.

Nearly the entire Foot clan had been called to New York. His soldiers came from all corners of the globe, abandoning their operations and dark machinations to carry out their master's will.

"They've been a thorn in my side for far too long, a scar from the past I will tolerate no further. Yoshi and his sons will succumb to my will before the next sun rise."

This was the breaking point, this was the moment that finally forced Karai to choose, and without even thinking she'd chosen him. She barely reached the lair in time to warn them, and now she couldn't even be sure they were alive. Her mind snapped back to the moment and she locked her eyes on the shredder. His arm held over his head ready to bring Karai's own blade crashing down on her. Karai grimaced but kept her gaze locked on Shredder, she refused to cower in the face of oblivion. As he began his killing stroke a green blur flashed between them and Saki's cutting stroke was caught between Leonardo's twin katana.

Karai didn't have time to marvel at him, two Foot soldiers were closing in to Leo's left side as he remained locked with Shredder.

Jumping to her feet the kunoichi placed herself at Leo's left side facing the approaching Foot soldiers, her right hand held back behind her.

"Leo! Sword!"

Leo broke the lock, deflecting Shredder off to his right and landing a glancing blow against his armor, at the same time he released his grip on his left sword and it dropped right into Karai's grasp who used it to quickly dispatch the two interlopers. Compared to the Shredder and the Turtles, they were little more than a nuisance. She turned to join Leo and found a new rage burning inside of her. Shredder had her sword, the sword she'd carried since her youth, the sword he'd gifted to her as part of her training.

"I'll have that back."

"Heh, no I don't think so Chunin. You see I don't even have to fight you two…"

Shredder gestured and his soldiers spilled forth. Leo planted himself ready to face them down, but Karai knew they had to flee. She grabbed his arm, "Leo, we have to go", trying to pull him down the dark corridor where they could at least bottleneck the overwhelming number of ninja arrayed against them.

"No"

"Leo we don't have time to argue this"

"I'm not leaving my brothers! Or Splinter!"

"Where are they Leo!? They may have been captured or worse by now, we need to flee so we can save them later!" She hated having to put those thoughts into his head but it was the reality of the situation. She could see the slight tremor in his muscles as he realized the truth in her words.

"I… You're right… We will save them. Or avenge them."

The two ninja began a fighting retreat. Leo parried an enemy's blow and Karai used the opening to split him open and send his entrails pouring out. An arrow sailed through the air, Leo spinning to dodge it and sending a shuriken towards the source, and a painful scream echoed through the tunnel. Karai dropped low severing the ankles of several Foot soldiers and they fell writhing in pain. The two lovers fought in perfect tandem, exacting a bloody toll on the encroaching army. The Foot Clan trampled their injured and dead, determined to eliminate the pair and exact revenge, and curry favor with their master.

Before long Karai and Leo stood at the edge of a central chamber, several tunnels pouring water into a massive pit, the water sloshing in the dark below. As one soldier lunged forward Leonardo deflected the strike, spinning around to his opponents back and cleaved him in two with one slash. Karai slashed and stabbed her way through the enemy line, desperately trying to regain ground, when a blinding light washed through the tunnel. When Leo's vision cleared the Foot clan had stopped, they stood motionless, staring at their opponents. Karai withdrew to Leonardo's side, the two of them still inches from the edge of the spillway. The enemy line made a pathway and Shredder strode forward.

"I hope you didn't plan to see your brothers again Leonardo"

"Shredder!" Spat Leo

"What… What was that light?" asked Karai

The shredder let out a slow cold laugh, "That traitor, was Leonardo's brothers moving onto a new existence."

"NO!" cried Leo and he began to step forward, poised for a final confrontation. In the shadows behind Shredder Karai thought she could see other's standing there. Not Foot soldiers, but something else, she strained her eyes trying to see. It was almost as if the figures were made of smoke… In the next instant the tunnel began to rumble and the wall next to the shredder suddenly blew apart. Broken brick and twisted pipe scattered through the corridor and a monstrous green form emerged from the opening. It's powerful claws thrashed at the cramped soldiers. It spun and knocked Shredder to the ground with it's powerful tail.

"LEONARDO! GO!"

"Leatherhead! Wait… go? Go where?" Leo shouted.

Leatherhead didn't answer, merely pointed to the chasm. Karai started to speak but before the words could leave her hips, Leonardo's arms were wrapped tightly around her and he dove from the edge. The two fell until they were surrounded by the black and splashed into the murky water. They struggled to keep their heads above water, weighed down by their gear. Karai drew a small knife and cut away the ties holding her armor in place and let it sink away from her body. She pulled the saya from Leo's back and sheathed her sword, tucking it into her obi as she began to feel around for something solid to cling to.

"Karai?"

"I'm here Leo."

Leo found something metal and rusty, it felt like a grate or catwalk and he gripped it with one hand while reaching out towards the sound of Karai's splashes, pulling her to him.

"Where are we?" She asked

"I… I don't know, we never explored down here before. Never needed to…."

"Well that seems incredibly shortsighted." Karai blurted out with a heavy dose of cynicism.

"Yeah well I didn't expect to have to have to go bungee jumping without the rope." Pulling himself up onto what he now realized was in fact a catwalk. He reached down to help Karai who smacked his hand away and climbed up herself.

"I don't need your help turtle."

"Didn't say you did."

She couldn't see him but somehow she knew the exact expression on his face and she felt a pang of regret for refusing his help. It wasn't that he thought she was weak, he simply cared for her. She thought to herself and realized that's all he'd ever done. Maybe that was why she rushed to help him and his brothers without even giving a thought to the Foot clan. She reached out and found his arm, looping hers through it and resting her head against him.

"So… what do we do now?" She asked in a softer tone

"We avenge my family… no matter the cost."

She could hear the pain in his voice, the loss of his brothers was a hurt she couldn't begin to imagine. Though she'd been raised in the Foot, she was always alone, it wasn't until her heart betrayed her to Leonardo that she started to understand what it meant to belong with someone. The two sat in silence, nothing but the sound of their breath and the water pouring down from the tunnels above. Something splashed down into the water and Leo sprang up, he'd been so lost in his thoughts he didn't know if they'd sat there for seconds, minutes or even longer. He snapped a glow stick off his belt and held it out towards the water. It's amber light reflecting off two large eyes that hovered just above the surface of the water.

"It's just Leatherhead." Leo said to Karai, who relaxed her posture, but only slightly.

The mutant alligator heaved himself onto the catwalk, and in the light of his glow stick, Leo could see a large wound in his ally's ribcage.

"Leatherhead! What happened?"

His breathing was heavy and he struggled to reply to the young turtle. "New warriors… not mutants but… something mystical… one of them struck me with his weapon. It was like a staff but had a blade affixed to the end."

"A naginata" replied Karai, but her brow furrowed as she considered the facts.

"Leo… I can't think of any warriors in the foot who use a naginata…"

"Let's worry about that later, my brothers Leatherhead, did you see any of my brothers!?"

"No… but after I made my escape into the tunnels I did see your father." Leatherhead said panting.

"My father is alive!?"

"Yes… and he gave me a message… he said to find him where everything started."

"Where what started?" Leo demanded

"I'm sorry my friend, he said nothing more, he disappeared into the shadows after that and I came to find you."

"Th… Thank you Leatherhead. For saving us, and for my father's message. Now do you know where we are?"

"Y… Yes, there's a passage here, it leads out to the harbor."

"Can you make it there?"

Leatherhead rose up, and Leo was reminded at just how large the mutant really was. "It'll take a lot more than one ninja blade to stop me Leonardo."

"Then lead the way my friend." Said Leo smiling, and turned to Karai.

He didn't have to say a word, she knew he was asking if she was coming. She thought to herself a moment. She'd branded herself a traitor, the Foot wouldn't just kill her for returning. They would be hunting her. Going with the turtle was certainly practical, but more than that, she found she didn't care about being a traitor. She didn't care about practicality, she just wanted to be by his side, and she hated herself for it.

"I'm with you Leo. If you don't mind I think I'll hold onto this for now." She said gesturing to the katana.

"Probably a good idea." He said and held out his arm allowing her to enter the tunnel ahead of him.

Leatherhead had no trouble seeing in the dark unlit tunnel. Leo and Karai both carried the amber glow sticks allowing them to see where they stepped. Leo was falling behind, consumed by thoughts of his family. Shredder told him his brothers were dead, and Leo was haunted by not being able to think of a reason Shredder would lie about that. If nothing else, his father was alive, but what had he meant? Where was he supposed to go? He forced himself back to reality and started to jog to catch up with his companions. As he approached Karai he noticed the Foot Clan symbol embroidered on the back of her jumpsuit. His eyes then drifted to her hand and noticed she had it wrapped around the mouth of the saya with her thumb resting on the tsuba of her sword much like the Samurai of old. That's when it hit him…

"I know what he meant."

Leatherhead and Karai stopped, turning to face Leo.

"What who meant?" Karai asked

"Splinter! His message, I know what he meant, I know where we have to go!"

"Ok… well he said go to where everything started…"

"Yes! Both our clans trace their roots to the same place, the place where the first ninja clans were formed. Karai we have to go to Japan!"


End file.
